The Myspace Rapper

By: Kenny Smith

Rappers have always came a dime a dozen. But since the emergence of the world’s greatest showcasing website, Myspace, fickle youngsters from around the world have come out of the woodworks proclaiming talent and charisma suitable for today’s industry. Bottom line; through this virtual open mic-like website, it is much easier to get heard than ever before. If you believe that you have what it takes, in the next five minutes your music can be available for the world to see. Through this incredible venue, the “Myspace Rapper” has been born.

The problem with the Myspace Rapper is similar to the one in the world of journalism and the new experience of blogging. The big issue in the blogging world is whether these internet reporters can be considered true journalist, without credibility and the lack of an overseeing editor finalizing their work. The same can be said for the Myspace Rapper; left to his/her own devices, opinions, and criticisms only within his/her small circle of friends and/or family. I call it the “Singing in the Shower Syndrome,” where everyone and their mama believes they have the talent to perform and unfortunately, Myspace is their tape recorder. This leads to a jaded judgment on skill, a lack of tested and true credibility, false hope, and a false belief of being heard and liked.

Bumpy Johnson: REAL American Gangster

Posted by Kenny Smith

Just a lil’ something for all of the so-called gangsta rappers out there and in today’s industry. Being a gangsta is something that is not to be glorified, but if you MUST be one, Bumpy personified it because he did it the right way — if that’s possible.

 
                – “Bring prosperity back to the hood like Bump J.”- Beanie Sigel

 Before rappers emerged proclaiming to be the “kings” of their city; glorifying and indulging in every negative aspect of respect, reputation and recognition, there was a man from the early 1920’s to the 1960’s who governed his city with a ruthless but positive aura. Harlem’s beloved son Ellsworth “Bumpy” Johnson is often referred to as the original black gangster, and perhaps the most feared and respected. 

But in the eyes of today’s generation – incarceration, hustling, and all aspects of the gangsta-persona are more loved and glorified than feared and respected. Especially in the Hip-Hop culture – where braggadocios lyrics about drug-peddling, gun-blazing and jail-visiting rappers are the constant images being presented to audiences around the world. A vast majority of rappers mold their images and personas after the reality that Bumpy carried out everyday. The story of the hardcore, street-oriented, tough upbringing artist, that is frequently fabricated, usually concludes with highly publicized attempts of artists living up to these facades, after the words are spoken. Consequences, convictions and sometimes death are the end results of rappers attempting to solidify their status. For Bumpy however, the actions spoke for them selves, and those factual events can’t be compiled from loose leaf.

 

By the age of 30, Bumpy Johnson had spent half of his life in prison. Arrested over 20 times, his rap sheet was unmatched – everything from assault, grand larceny and drug trafficking to burglary, robbery and gambling, just to name a few. Never afraid of a confrontation, bar brawls and street scuffles were always constant as Bumpy would not hesitate to bruise an ego as well as a jaw. It was this same confrontational attitude that contributed to the short-lived numbers gang-war with Jewish mob boss Dutch Schultz.

The State Of Hip-Hop

Posted by Kenny Smith

What is the state of Hip-Hop? Depending on who you ask, you will get different responses. Generally, responses will consist of either “it’s great, artists are making more money now than ever before,” or “it’s not how it used to be, everything sounds the same.” Well, they’re both right. My belief is that somewhere along the line as Hip-Hop evolved, it began to have data, statistics, and track records. And when it became understood that it was a multi-billion dollar industry, it took on another form.

Let’s compare Hip-Hop to a simplified Advertising Industry. In advertising, you have various different agencies geared towards selling a particular product. The ad agency’s job is to create the most effective advertisement to sell the product. In Hip-Hop, the ad agencies are the record labels, and the product is Hip-Hop music essentially. The labels’ main objective is to sell as much music (the product) by creating the most effective record (the advertisement) as possible.

In an ad agency, there is a specific department designated to create the ad that will sell effectively. This is the creative department, made up of art directors and copywriters, theoretically. The copywriter creates the words for the advertisement, and the art director makes the visual. In Hip-Hop, this would be considered the recording artist and the producer.

Now the number one objective in any ad agency is to sell, and after buying, researching and strategizing a plan, it is the creative department’s job to present an ad that will meet the client’s goal. Unfortunately, creativity is abolished and simplicity is welcomed because the main concern is SELLING the product. A copywriters integrity and craftsmanship have to be put aside, as it has been researched that simple, straight-to-the-point direct selling techniques are guaranteed winners.